17 Aug 2014

Tutorial - Triple Blue Tips

Happy Sunday, my lovelies! How are you on this fine day? I’m doing pretty well – hubby, the puppy and I are going to go to a redwood park later today! I’m really excited – visiting a Redwood state park is yet another item on the list of “California things I still have to do”, so I can’t wait to get that checked off ;)

So the other day when I was getting ready to do my nails, I had a conundrum. The old polish was off, the base coat was on, but I didn’t know what to do! There aren’t any major holidays around the corner, no new fandom events I could think of… What on Earth was I supposed to do with my nails??

After much deliberation, I decided that I wanted a twist on a classic. I grabbed a couple of blues (which is my go-t0 color for nail polish when I don’t have something specific in mind), pulled out the striping tape, and decided it was time for a different kind of French tip. So today I give you:

Tutorial: Triple Blue Tips

(apologies for the blurry photo! I swear the other ones are sharper! laughs)

Step 1: Supplies! For this manicure, you will need:

Clear base & top coat

Nail polish in two different shades of blue

Blue striping tape

Scotch tape

Cuticle nippers/scissors (for cutting the striping tape)

Step 2: Prep it! Clean, shape, and buff your nails in the style you prefer then paint on the clear base coat.

Step 3: Tape & paint! Now take a small piece of scotch tape and lay it at an angle on your nail. Try to have the line of the tape travel from the base corner of your nail to the opposite corner of its tip. Paint the exposed part of the nail with 2-3 coats of your first blue polish.

Peel off the tape and WAIT. The polish has to be COMPLETELY dry before moving on. (Protip: Your polish is completely dry when you can run your nails across each other without any tack – it should be a smooth motion, no grip or catch)

Step 4: Tape & paint (again)! Now that your first blue is completely dry, take another piece of tape and lay it at an angle in the opposite direction. Paint the exposed part of your nail with your second blue polish.

Once again, WAIT before moving on to the next step.

Step 5: (Striping) tape it! Now take out your striping tape and place a strip at the border of your second blue. Clip off any excess ends of the tape so the stripe is exactly the length of the second blue.

Step 6: Finish it! Paint on your top coat, clean up the edges of your nails and voila! A funky twist on a classic – tips that are multicolored and quite modern looking. :)

I’m quite please with how these turned out – and since blue is the hubby’s favorite color, he likes them a lot too ;)

Obviously you don’t HAVE to do this style in blue. Do them in YOUR favorite color! Do them in complimentary shades! Whatever you choose though, if you decide to try this manicure at home please send me a picture! I’d love to see them! And as a reminder, if you send me a photo of your nails I’ll be sure to feature them in one of my “What You’ve Been Up To” posts :)

Have a very happy week, my lovelies! I’ll see you next time <3

Nail Polishes Used:

love & beauty by Forever21 in “Sky Blue”

love & beauty by Forever21 in “Sky Blue”
(Confusing, right? These are two different blues but they have the same name)